Improvement in doors for grain-cars



JOHN 'BASSL'EB.

improvement in Doors for Grain Cars.

Patente d March 12, 1872.v

. IIIIIIIIIIIIII}! I'll/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII JMVEMTOR "WITMES'SES 09TH Je JOHN BASSLER, or GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN DOORS FOR GRAIN-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,535, dated March 12, 1872.

SPECIFICATION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BASSLER, of Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway BOXCZi-I' Grain Doors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawing forming a part hereof, in which- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the inside of one side of a railway box-car, show ing a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the flooringof the car and representing the door as shut or down in its position against the floor. Fig. 2 represents a like view with the door covering removed, and showing the door, when open or in its position, against the side of the car. Fig. 3 represents a like view, showing the door covering re moved and the door shut; and Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of the slot-ted plate, elr larged, upon'one corner of the door.

My invention relates to that class of railway car-doors which are used upon cars for the purpose of carrying grain. Heretoi'ore cars of this kind have been provided with doors turning on hinges or pivots, and the doors have. been fastened down upon the floor of the car by means of buttons or similar devices. An objectionable feature in the operation of these doors is, that the jarring movement of the cars is communicated to the doors and admits of the grain escaping, more or less, beneath the door,

especially after the doors have been used for a considerable time. The object of my inven tion is to more effectually prevent this escape and provide a compressing and locking-device which may be conveniently operated, and by means of which the object of my invention may be effected; to that end my inventionconsists in a novel, construction and arrangement of the door and locking device, which construction and arrangement will be hereafter more fully described.

A is the side of the car. B is the door. b is a projection upon one side of the door, the outer and inner corners of which are rounded manner shown.

05, as shown, the outer corner being the most rounded. O is a screw-bolt, and c is a curved slot, through which it passes into the car. I The slotted corner of the door is rounded off, and the corner diagonally therefrom is cut in the d is a thumb-notch in the door. The edges of the door and its slotted corner may be protected by metallic strips or plates, and e is such a plate about the slot 0. The slot 0 is cut concentric with or parallel to the curve upon the corner of the door, so that the slot will admit of the door being turned about the bolt C while the corner of the door is in contact with the floor of the car. E is a cleat or guide-way, into which the free end of the door slides as it is shut. F is a wedgeshaped pin, which may be placed in a corresponding recess in the clea-t E, so as to hold down the free end of the door. G is a covering over the door, when the latter is open,and this covering is sufticientlyraised from the side of the car by cleats, as at j, or otherwise, to form a recess between it and the side of the car into which the door may pass as it is opened. The use of cleats on the cover G also, as shown by the dotted lines at g y, will hold the door firmly in placewithout presenting a large frictional surface to thedoor, and these cleats may be lined with metal if desired. d is a thumb notchin the cover G, so as to expose the thumbnotch 61 when the door is open; but I. do not claim providing the door with a protection of this kind. 1-1 is a togglearm, hung from a pivotal bearing at its top. h It are metallic plates (preferably) attached to and extendin g below the lower end of the toggle-arm, the corners of which plates are rounded off in the manner shown. The. length of this toggle-arm is such that, as it rides down the upper edge of the door while the latter is being closed,it will engage with the projection b and firmly press and hold the door against the floor of the car.

The operation of my invention will be understood from the fbregoing description; but, it may be here briefly stated, that the pin F being removed the free end of the door is lifted upward and swung into the recess beneath the cover G, the toggle-arm swinging into the position shown in Fig. 2, and being freed from compressing the door by the actof opening it and by means of the projections b and h. In

order to shut the door, the thumb is inserted in the tlnnnb-notch d and the free end of the door is swung downward, the toggle-arm falling; over the notch b so as to press the door firmly upon the floor, as the door is shut, and thus prevent the escape of grain beneath the door. The free end of the door is securely held down by means of the wed ge-shaped pin F.

Any suitable device may be substituted for the thumb-notch 01.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The door B,pr0vided with the curved slot 0 and projection b,in combination with serew-- 

